"Nurturing" bonsai, nurturing the soul

Having been in the business of making homemade bonsai pots for decades, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien, in Group 17, Pom Han Ward (Lao Cai City), grows bonsai to support his family's sale of bonsai pots. Mr. Tien said: I look for small bonsai trees or trees with pre-made bonsai frames, then take care of and shape the trees. Depending on the shape of the tree, I will plant it in suitable pots, making it a model for customers to choose from. I like bonsai with flowers, so I choose the frangipani tree for easy planting and care. The frangipani tree has a lot of flowers, has many flower colors and rarely loses its shape.

Although the number of trees is not much, the ornamental garden with about a dozen small bonsai pots that Mr. Tien displayed right on the roadside attracts the attention of many passersby. According to Mr. Tien, although planting more ornamental trees, especially bonsai, is mainly to support the sale of ornamental pots for his family, but every day, seeing the bonsai that he has cared for and nurtured show off their shape and bloom brilliantly, he finds life more interesting and beautiful.

Plant lovers will explore, research and understand the living characteristics of plants. For example, the bonsai frangipani tree that I have been “raising” for many years is a very easy-to-care-for tree. It does not need too much water but needs a lot of light and regular fertilization before each flowering period. The blooming period of frangipani flowers lasts from January to July every year, so people who grow this type of tree will be able to see the flowers continuously from one period to another.
Mr. Tien added

In the professional bonsai community, especially in Lao Cai, few people do not know Mr. Tran Van Kiem, Chairman of the Lao Cai City Ornamental Plants Association. With nearly 15 years of experience in growing and caring for bonsai, Mr. Kiem owns a valuable bonsai garden on the rooftop, with more than 10 species and nearly 100 trees.

Originally a construction engineer but born in a land with a tradition of growing ornamental plants (Nam Dinh), Mr. Kiem has had a passion for ornamental plants since he was young. Previously, Mr. Kiem played with ornamental plants simply as a hobby. Every time he came home from work, stressed and tired, he could look at, prune, and shape the plants, forgetting all his worries. However, he became more and more passionate, spending more time researching, studying, and learning to better care for his garden.

At first, I only planted a few pots of plants to admire when I had free time, but later on, my passion became so great that whenever I heard about a strange, beautiful plant or happened to see one, I would buy it. Gradually, I quit my construction job and switched to professional bonsai growing. Caring for bonsai is not really too hard, but it requires careful observation and appropriate adjustments to ensure the plant has enough light, water and nutrients.
Mr. Tran Van Kiem shared

Mr. Kiem’s bonsai garden has trees that are nearly a hundred years old, some that have been with him for more than a decade, some that have already taken on beautiful shapes when bought, but some that are still just skeletons when he gets them. He had to spend time and effort to create the shape: stimulating buds, stimulating branches, cutting, pruning, bending… for many years to achieve it.

According to Mr. Kiem's experience in "raising" bonsai, when the tree has settled into its position and is stable in the pot, there is no need to change the pot, but only to follow the regular fertilization, pest control, and especially to prevent "sunburn" for the tree trunk. Bonsai roots are all old trees, with less tolerance to harsh weather than normal trees, so if the tree trunk is exposed to strong sunlight for a long time, it can easily get "sunburned". When the tree is "sunburned", it takes a long time to recover, maybe 2-3 years, or maybe 5-7 years, so players need to pay special attention.

“My bonsai garden always has a black net to shade it when needed. This job cannot be rushed or rushed, but requires perseverance, carefulness, meticulousness and creativity," Mr. Kiem added.

To create a satisfactory tree shape, you need to wait for the tree to grow each small branch until it is suitable for your desired tree shape. You cannot bend the tree at any time of the year or day, but usually only shape the tree twice a year, around April - May and July - September. You must bend when the weather is sunny, usually at noon so that the tree branches have a lot of sap, are soft, flexible and easy to bend.

Bonsai has many shapes: straight, inclined, pierced, suspended, falling... each shape has its own beauty, depending on the feelings and eyes of each person, and at the same time shows the personality of the player. Loving trees and devoting a lot of heart to them, it seems that trees also know how to repay people. In Mr. Kiem's bonsai garden, there are trees that when first bought were only worth a few million to a few tens of millions of VND, but after a few years, their value has increased 5-7 times. Therefore, now, the garden of trees is not only the "brainchild" that helps Mr. Kiem dispel fatigue and worries about life, but also becomes a precious asset that he cherishes and preserves every day.

The Lao Cai City Bonsai Association has more than 80 members, including more than a dozen members who are passionate about growing bonsai professionally. There is nothing more wonderful than a passion that both nourishes the soul and contributes to stabilizing life.

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